subject: Alcoholism [print this page] It is also said that once someone is an alcoholic, even if they quit drinking they are still an alcoholic. This disease not only affects the person who drinks, it affects everyone that surrounds them. It is a challenge to help someone come to terms with their alcoholism, but there is support out there.
Alcohol abuse is so common that the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism have categorized alcoholics into five different subtypes. Don't be fooled, though. No one type of alcoholism is better than another. It's all very serious for the people involved.
-Young adult alcoholics make up the majority of abusers, with 31.5 percent. These people are drinkers that don't have another type of addiction and have a low occurrence of family history of alcoholism. They generally don't seek help for their alcoholism.
-Young antisocial alcoholics are people in their early to mid-twenties, have some kind of family history of alcoholism, and usually suffer from some type of mental disease (depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders). They also have another addiction to go along with the alcoholism, like cigarettes or something worse. About one-third of this sub-type seek help for their addiction.
-Functional alcoholics are generally middle aged drinkers with jobs, families, and homes. Some have a family history of alcohol abuse by several generations. This subtype has shown some history of a major depressive illness.
-Intermediate familial alcoholics have the same types of characteristics as the functional alcoholics with one major difference. Almost all people in this category smoke and most have an addiction to another drug such as marijuana or cocaine.
-Chronic severe alcoholics make up the smallest percent of subtypes, with only 9 percent of all alcoholics being categorized as such. They are generally middle-aged and have been drinking since an early age. They have a very high rate of mental disorders and a high rate of criminal history. They usually come from a long line of alcoholics and have a high rate of abusing other drugs along with alcohol. Almost two thirds of this sub-type seek help for their addiction.
Sometimes when someone decides to stop drinking, they do so "cold turkey". There are some people out there whose addiction is so severe that suddenly stopping can be fatal. They will go through severe withdrawal symptoms called delirium tremens, which can cause convulsions or sudden death. A long time alcoholic who decides to stop drinking needs to seek medical attention to do so. The good new is that only the most severe alcoholics go through symptoms this strong. Most people who stop drinking only go through mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms including shakes, confusion, nausea, irritability, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, and diarrhea.
The most important thing to remember is that whether it is you or someone you love going through this addiction, there is help. Support is available to anyone who decides to stop drinking and start their life anew.
